


Brush strokes, wet paint

by oinkjungjung



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, M/M, Nude Modeling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-01
Updated: 2019-07-01
Packaged: 2020-06-02 02:42:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19432258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oinkjungjung/pseuds/oinkjungjung
Summary: What happens when no one gave Zhengting a heads up for what’s to comeaka the one where Zhengting attends an art class and is faced with a nude model





	Brush strokes, wet paint

As a dance major, Zhengting had no reason to be even appearing in the art faculty, what’s more a drawing class but here he was, in said classroom filled with easels and the pungent smell of paint.

Looking around, there was really no one he knew besides the few people who had somehow made an impression on him over the course of the past few weeks of class simply because they sat near him. But whom could he blame but himself? Zhengting had been the one who submitted the list of modules he was applying for a couple weeks back, knowing full well none of his friends even gave this foundation drawing class a thought. 

Was Zhengting an amazing artist that could capture the beauty of the world in his work? No, of course not. But he thought he could draw decent. At least you could tell who each person in the family portrait he drew as a kid was. And no, it was not one where you could exchange with any other student with the same number of family members and it would still fit just fine. He was better than that.

Besides, this module was just an elective, it would not be as strict as the equivalent course for the actual art students. “The tutor marks for improvements, so just do badly at the start.” was what one of course review Zhengting read had said.

Surely he could get a decent grade from attending a relatively chill module and have fun at the same time.

So here he was, seated before the easel that he claimed as his on the first lesson, scrolling through his social media as he waited for class to start.

When his tutor, a kind young lady who did not seem to be that much older than them, entered, he slid his phone into his pocket only for her to ask everyone to keep their phones into their bags instead. 

A little confused, Zhengting did as he was told but he did feel a little annoyed at being treated like a kid. Unknown to Zhengting though, whispers and chatters about the reason behind this change in rules were exchanged around him but he was too busy with his thoughts to hear them.

“Judging from all the buzz I assume everyone here knows what today’s class is about. So let me just remind everyone to be professional about this. This is about artistic expression.” His tutor said to the class. But while everyone seemed to have this knowing look on their faces, Zhengting’s perplexed expression seemed to stand out. Out of habit, Zhengting started fiddling with his brush, which just had to slip out of his hand and onto the ground.

While Zhengting was picking it up, he heard the chatter around him die out and silence seeped in. Everyone seemed to have started and are particularly serious today, something that was not exactly common in their class filled with students here for an easy grade.

Picking up his brush, seating back at his seat, Zhengting looked up only to look away immediately, cheeks flushing bright red in an instance. What did he just see?!

Taking a few deep breaths to try and calm himself down subtly in this otherwise serious class, he slowly started to look up again, back to the front of the class where their object (or subject in this case) to be drawn would be. 

Yes, he was not hallucinating, there really was someone seated on that pedestal, someone looking right at him. Oh god, send help please.

Even as Zhengting was now facing in the right direction, brush in hand, urging himself to start, his eyes continued to dart everywhere else but on the model. “How am I supposed to do this?” Zhengting thought, “That is way too much bare skin! And don’t look right at me!”

When everyone else had already produced some semblance of a human figure out on their canvases, Zhengting finally managed to hypnotise himself into ignoring the pair of eyes burning at his face and making his first stroke of the brush.

Zhengting started with the model’s shoulder. “His shoulder of all places!” he thought to himself as he worked on getting the defined lines of the model’s broad shoulders onto his canvas. He would have started from the top but he wanted to avoid making eye contact with the pair of eyes staring right at him for as long as he could, “So the shoulder it is.”

Mixing an array of beiges, peach and browns, Zhengting’s canvas was slowly covered in more and more colour, a torso slowly taking its shape. But while Zhengting was making progress, the faint blush on his cheeks never really went away. But only fluctuating in intensity depending on what his brush was painting. 

As the entire torso up to the neck was done, Zhengting closed his eyes, giving himself a little pep talk before finally taking a look at the model’s face. 

“Please send help!”

Under the gaze of the model, Zhengting’s eyes travelled across the models’ face, taking note of every single little detail, the tan skin, the sharp lines of his face and the piercing eyes now holding a glint in them.

Willing himself to not read too much into it, despite the subconscious flaring of his cheeks that were beyond his control, Zhengting continued with his painting. And with each stroke of his brush, the model’s face was brought to life on his canvas. 

And… Zhengting may have ended up spending way more time than he should have on his face considering how he only had the top half done by the end of the class while everyone else left with completed (or close to completion, only missing some details) paintings.

Why did this happen? Zhengting’s excuse would be that he wanted to be able to capture his model’s face as best as he could because “the face is the soul of the body”.

But the real reason behind this though, is that Zhengting would rather meet eyes with the model than to seem as though he was giving the other ‘meat-eyes’ by staring at some other area. Well, Zhengting definitely was not intending on not finishing the painting, but let’s just say that time was not really the biggest thing on his mind at that time and he thought he could just delay a little. Little did he know that the class would end before he could even try?

So when his tutor told them time’s up, the completely bare model finally picked up the robe he had set aside earlier, very calmly put it on and left, much to Zhengting’s… relief?

Well, he was definitely going to get marked down for not finishing the painting, but he hoped that he did well enough in other areas to not end up scoring too badly.

Zhengting waited for everyone else to leave before finally getting up to set his painting in the room where they leave all their works to dry. Even though he had only given the many paintings lying around a sweeping glance, he could distinctly tell he was the only one who did not finish. Oh this is embarrassing, the only guy in class ended being the only one unable to finish painting a portrait of a nude male model.

Turning around, ready to leave, Zhengting was met with a familiar figure standing at the door, the one he had been staring at throughout the entire lesson and oh boy Zhengting could feel his cheeks heating up yet again. Can he be allowed to take a break?!

At least his clothes are on this time.

Feeling slightly shy being caught next to his painting, Zhengting quickly averted his eyes and tried to leave the place as fast as he could even if it meant he had to sidestep the model that was in his way.

But because the whole world just seemed to be against him, a hand shot up to block the way right as Zhengting was at the door and about to be free. Thank god for his fast reflexes or Zhengting would have walked right into that arm and be drowned in a wave of awkwardness again. 

“Call the Art Loss Register, because you just stole my heart,” the model said, dimples showing off itself proudly. But while Zhengting was met with an expectant look, he made no move to reply. In fact, he really did not even move a single inch at all, just standing motionlessly there.

With a low chuckle to himself, the model mumbled, “Wow you really are a cute one,” before starting again, reaching his hand out for a handshake, “Hi, I am Yanjun. I think you are cute, do you want to go for coffee with me?”

Zhengting did not think his cheeks could get any warmer.

As he watched Yanjun turn to make his leave after sending him back to his hostel following their impromptu coffee date, Zhengting heard the words “If you want to, we can maybe arrange a time for you to finish up that painting of yours.”

Yes, his cheeks can indeed get warmer.

From the moment Yanjun had entered the class, he had spotted Zhengting, the only guy in class and… on the floor picking up his brush… But if Yanjun hadn’t thought Zhengting was cute right from the start, the way Zhengting’s head had popped up above the easel when he got up sure did make him coo internally. 

During the course of the lesson, Yanjun had lots of time to observe Zhengting, noticing every little thing about him. His constant blushing and shyness was obvious but Yanjun also took notes of Zhengting’s beautiful features when the other too was busy sizing him up. Well, it’s only fair.

Those blue coloured contacts, pink glitter specks surrounding his eyes, soft wavy locks, huge grey beret enveloping that tiny little head, that long earring dangling down were definitely attention grabbing. But they only served to complement those beautiful features that were truly out of this world, making Yanjun wonder why he was the model when someone in class clearly deserved to have paintings of him hanging in exhibitions.

Those little reactions he had. The way Yanjun could distinctly tell where Zhengting was looking. The way that blush deepens when Zhengting’s eyes hover over specific areas. 

While modeling can be tiring and maybe a little boring in that you don’t know what to do with your mind as you stay in one position for too long, those shy and adorable reactions of Zhengting’s made the process just that much easier and better. 

Yanjun did sign up for this for some extra bucks but the way his heart was racing made him question if that was worth the possible heart attack he seemed to be getting.

And now three months into his relationship, Yanjun would say yes, all this was worth in.

**Author's Note:**

> this was just something random my brain decided to come up with haha i don't even know why i wrote this. No one probably needed this but here you go


End file.
